Patrick M. Gallivan's posts related to Taxes

ALBANY - The New York State Senate has passed the State Budget on time for the third consecutive year, Senator Patrick M. Gallivan announced today. The spending plan adheres to a self-imposed two percent spending cap, contains significant tax relief for middle-class families and businesses, and also addresses some of the unique challenges facing Western New York.

BUDGET PLAN WOULD CHANGE THE STATE’S FILM PRODUCTION TAX CREDIT TO LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR WNY

The New York State Senate today approved a 2013-14 budget resolution, proposed by the Senate Majority Coalition, that focuses on helping businesses create new jobs, investing additional funds in education and transportation, providing mandate relief to local governments, and restoring proposed cuts to women’s health programs as well programs for the developmentally disabled. The budget also includes proposals to implement a two-percent state spending cap and reform the State’s film production tax credit program to level the playing field for Upstate.

New York State Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma) announced today that after weeks of negotiating, the final enacted state budget will include a provision to boost the film production industry in upstate New York.

Currently, New York State provides a tax incentive for up to 30 percent of certain production costs, but Gallivan has long argued that upstate and its unique cities need something more to attract significant studio interest.

Senate Republican Conference Leader Dean Skelos and members of the Senate Republican conference today announced a bold and sweeping job creation plan to improve New York’s business climate so it not only keeps up with other states, but surpasses them. Among other things, the “Senate Republican Blueprint for Jobs: ReThink. ReVitalize. ReBuild.” would cut taxes for one million small businesses and reduce energy costs for every business and residential ratepayer in New York, saving them $2.5 billion.

Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos and members of the Senate Republican Conference today unveiled the Family Tax Relief Act, a package of tax relief and reform measures designed to provide a major economic boost to New York’s struggling middle class families.

The Senate Republican plan would increase tax breaks that have not kept pace with inflation, and, in some instances, haven’t been adjusted for more than 25 years. The plan also restores the STAR property tax rebate check program to provide real and direct relief to millions of New Yorkers who pay some of the highest property taxes in the country.

ALBANY - Growing the state’s agriculture industry and helping New York’s family farms prosper is the goal of the “Grown in New York” plan, unveiled today at a Capitol news conference by members of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee, as well as leaders of the New York Farm Bureau. The plan is designed to strengthen the state’s $5.2 billion agriculture industry by expanding markets for New York-grown products, improving the bottom lines of family farms, and investing in the future of farming.

“The news today that Cleveland was selected over western New York as the filming location for “Draft Day” – a film about the Buffalo Bills and set in and around western New York – is just the latest example of why New York State needs to expand and reform its film production tax credit program to make Upstate and western New York more attractive to the entertainment industry. We have desirable locations throughout the area, we have near universal support from within the community, but we are lacking an incentive program that can compete with neighboring states. Western New York didn’t lose a movie today, we lost jobs; a failure to act after this latest development would be inexcusable."

Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R,C,I – Elma) joined with fellow members of the Senate Republican Conference and leaders of statewide business organizations to urge Governor Cuomo to remove the proposed extension of the utility tax surcharge from his Executive Budget. The 18-a surcharge, which has increased utility bills for every ratepayer in the state, is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2014.

“Extending this surcharge will cost ratepayers almost $3 billion. Small businesses, working families and seniors, all struggling to keep up with high energy costs, cannot afford this burdensome utility tax any longer,” said Senator Gallivan. “Allowing the 18-a assessment surcharge to expire will also help to create jobs and make New York more economically competitive.”

“State government has been able to change direction the last two years largely because Albany has adopted a course of fiscal prudence. Today’s budget proposal demonstrates the Governor’s continued commitment to financial responsibility, keeping state spending growth below two percent while closing a $1.35 billion budget deficit without proposing any new taxes.”

Chairman of the Senate's Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business Committee, Senator Patrick M. Gallivan, formally requested that the New York State Thruway Authority consider cost saving measures before anything as drastic as a 45 percent toll hike on three-axled vehicles is considered.

In the letter to Thruway Authority Chairman, Howard Milstein, Senator Gallivan said that any such toll hike would have a serious impact on the western New York economy, area farms, and consumers.